Jaclyn Friedman smiled as she received a standing ovation by an Ohio University audience Tuesday evening.
Friedman gave a keynote address titled “Beyond Consent: How Reclaiming Sexuality Combats Sexual Violence,” bringing a conversational approach to the world of sex and consent and cracking a few jokes while still delving deep into the subject.
After her talk, Friedman said she was glad to see an audience engage and a population trying to start change on campus.
“There are so many students, and plus faculty and administration up to the president (at OU), who genuinely and in meaningful and complex ways are trying to make change for the better and I’m so impressed with them,” Friedman said.
Amanda Hobson, a residential coordinator, originally had the idea to bring Friedman to speak to residential assistants about consent, and with the turnout of the event, she was glad to see the audience participation.
“What I hope is (her talk) really connected with the audience and really connected with folks and I think that is what happened,” Hobson said.
Hannah Ticoras, a junior studying English and audience member, said she has read Friedman’s work and enjoyed that Friedman brought the opinions and facts she presents off the pages of her novel.
“It was just a talk and you got to digest it on your own,” Ticoras said. “I feel like that’s one of the best parts about having someone talk. … You were able to think about it on your own and not be interrogated, in that sense.”
Dean of Student Affairs Jenny Hall-Jones said Friedman exceeded her expectations to the topics she discussed, including experiences regarding alcohol and sex.
“When she was talking about your beginning alcohol experience and your beginning sexual experiences, we need to be talking about it and normalizing that it’s OK, one, to talk about it,” Hall-Jones said. “And it’s, two, OK and we should be enthusiastically talking about sex and consent.”
Friedman will hold sessions Wednesday to continue the conversation on a smaller scale, talking with activists, faculty, staff and students. Friedman said she wants to make the most out of her stay here at OU, and enjoys the opportunity to talk to students this age.
“I feel like it’s so inspiring to me to think you have the opportunity to play this forward from a pretty young age that really can be transformative in individual life and also in a community,” Friedman said. “It gives me a lot of hope.”
@reb_barnes
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